The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-01-22

that without beginning till then had
possessed him, and resolved to have
such thing as universe and such a
method as nature, all to come out OF
nothing into existence, for the pur-
pose of making his being manifest to
himself, and to the intelligences whom
this universe should contain ?
True, this is about what we all imag-
ined, or tried to imagine, when we
were children; and most of US, no doubt,
believed just about this as long as our
childhood lasted; for we accepted,
without protest, the proposition that
there was, 30 to speak, past eternity
an unbegun past-in which, alone,
God as pure spirit lived ;-dwelt in the
absolute solitude of his own indepen-
dent being; but that, at given point
in the past, he resolved to create, and
to produce from nothing universe of
material bodies, and an order and meth
cd for the running of this universe that
should constitute nature.
This was, substantially, the teaching
that we received in our childhood; and
this, in one form or another Of presen-
tation, is the teaching that is given, re-
ceived, and held, to-day, by all uncul-
tured races of men; men who still, in
their grown up state, have not out
grown the notions of childhood.
But must we who call ourselves civil
lized, and who claim to be intellectual
in mind and rational in thought, still
adhere to such absurd notions, and still
conform to such irrational teaching?
Must we ignore that necessity of ra-
tional thought which assumes eternal
action of eternal energy, and hence re-
gard the supreme spirit as never hav-
ing existed in quiescent state, but as
eternally exerting his almighty energy;
and, therefore, as never beginning to
create, but as eternally creating?
Must we believe that creation is an
unnatural, anti-natural, ''supernaturaP'
or miraculous act of God at some limi-
ted and specified point in his own etern-
ity ? Must we think, or vainly try to
think, of time when nothing existed
but God as spirit totally dissociated
from any substance or form of objec-
tive existence, but that out of nothing,
at that time, he miraculously created an
objective universe which in the time to
come is to be resolved to nothing again?
This all is asking too much. Think
ers have never been able 20 believe that
something ever came from nothing.
They never have been able to believe
that It is possibie, even FOR 1tfie ififinite'
Being, to, create something out of moth
ing. Grown up thinkers never have
truly believed this, whatever may have
been their course in subscribing to or
admitting the idea for the sake of peace
outward peace only, of course, as i'll
ner peace is secured only through fidel-
ity to honest conviction.
The true idea of creation, no doubt,
is, as the necessity of rational thought
compels us to own, that as God is eter-
nal his creative action is also eternal.
AS his nature is to manifest his being
to himself and to finite intelligences
proceeding from himself, he eternally
creates.
Therefore, from time unbegun he has
had universe, as well as now; and to
time unending his universe will still con-
tinue; though during the sweep of his
eternal years, worlds and systems in
Vulnerable in the universe of God, may
form and dissolve, to be reformed and re-
dissolved, indefinitely; and thus, as to
God and the universe of his power-his
general creation-bOth are eternal; and
in regard to both as the one entirety of
being, the saying in the litany is appro-
pirate: GAS it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be, world with
out end. Amen"
Therefore, there is no necessity of
assuming miraculous, or supernatural
beginning of objective existence. Gods
creation is the natural and eternal
manifestation of his power; and all
nature, in all worlds, visible and invis-
ible, material and spiritual, is but the
eternal method of the eternal God in
the natural and perpetual proceeding
of his power, through which it is seen
that 'of him, and through him, and to
him are all things"